US285897A - Howard hoppin and aethue l - Google Patents

Description

- (No Model.)

2 Sheets-Sheet 1. H. HOPPIN 8: A. L. BROWN. BOOK, ALBUM, &c. No. 285,897. Patented Oct. 2 1883.

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H. HOPPIN & A. L. BROWN.

BOOK, ALBUM, &c. No. 285,897. Patented 001;. 2, 1883.

TATES PATE T OFFIC HOXVARD HOPPIN AND ARTHUR L. BRO XVN, OF PROVIDENCE, R. I.

BOOK, ALBUM, 84c.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 285,897, dated October 2, 1883.

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, HOWARD HOPPIN and ARTHUR L. BROWN, both of the city and county of Providence, in.the State of Rhode Island, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Books, Albums, &c.; and we do hereby declare that the following specification, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, forming a part of the same, is a full, clear, and accurate description thereof.

Our invention is especially applicable to picture-books for children, and has for its purpose to display the pictures upon the successive leaves of a book under novel and striking conditions adapted to add to the effect produced, and thus to increase the interest and hold the attention of the child; but it can also be readily applied to books of other classes as, for instance, books of engravings, albums for photographs, and the like.

Our invention consists in a novel construction I and arrangement of the parts of a book in such manner that when closed ithasthe appearance practically of an ordinary book, but when opened it can be converted into a miniature cage, house, theater, 810., or furnish a frame or suitable surrounding for the more effective display of the scenes, figures, pictures, en-

gravings, &c., contained upon or forming a.

part of the leaves of the book or album.

To the front cover of a book bound in the usual way is attached an additional cover of peculiar construction and design, which may be varied to suit the character of the pictures contained in the book. Thus, if the contents of the book consist of a series of animals represented upon the successive leaves,-this additional cover maybeqnade to represent the front of a cage. If the pictures represent the scenes of a drama, this additional cover may be constructed to resemble the proscenium-arch of a theater, &c., while in the case of a book of engravings or a photograph-album this additional cover may be constructed to give the appearance of a frame or other suitable surrounding adapted to the effective display of the engravings or pictures contained in the book. This additional cover is to be providedwith one or more openings, through which thepictures are to be looked at, and it will thus be seen that by constructing this cover to correspond with the pictures to be displayed the combination struction. opened for use in the ordinary way. I Fi 3 is a Application filed September 18, 1862. (No model.)

may be made to striking effect.

Referring to the drawings, Figure l is a view in perspective of a book of our improved con- Fig. 2 is a view of the book when produce a novel and very view in perspective of the book converted into a miniature cage, and Fig. 4 is a front view of the same. a

A A are respectively the front and back covers of a book, and a a the successiveleaves bound therein.

B is an extra or additional cover attachedto the edge of the front cover, A, as shown in Fig. 2. This additional cover B may be made to fold over upon the outside of the back cover, as shown in Fig. 1, or it maybe made to fold withinthe book between the front cover and the first leaf. The former arrangement is generally preferable, inasmuch as this cover B, be ing of peculiar construction and appearance, will furnish an attractive exterior for the book. \Vhen closed, the book, as shown in Fig. 1, differs little in appearance from that of an ordinary book, and, as shown in Fig. 2, itcan readily be used, as books are ordinarily used, by on folding the additional cover B, and then turning the leaves aasuccessivelyin the usual way, The pictures or views are upon one side only of the leaf, the other side being left blank, or, if desired, provided with suitable printed matter, which may be descriptive of thepicture opposite.

To convert the book into a miniature cage, for example, it is placed with what would ordinarily be its front cover, A, down, as shown in Fig. 3. The additional cover 13 is then raised, so as to stand at right angles, or nearly so,with the cover A, and then the back cover, A, and the leaves a a are also raised, so as to beat right angles, or nearly so, to the cover A and to a plane substantially parallel with the plane of the additional cover 13 when raised.

The back cover, A, is provided with a clasp, 0, adapted to engage a pin or to fit into a socket, d, in the additional cover P. This clasp,when the book is closed, can be folded within the book. If the material of which the covers of the book are composed is not stiff enough, or if the joints of the covers are not rigid enough, to hold the parts in the position shown in Fig. 3, additional means of support may be pro vided in any of numerous ways that will readily suggest themselves; or the book may be placed so that the back cover will rest against some external support. The additional cover B is provided with doors b b. (Shownin Fig. l in a closed position and in Figs. 3 and 4 thrown open to afford an opening through the cover 13.) This opening, in case of a cage, may

be provided with bars 6 e, in imitation of the 10 bars of a menagerie-eage. If, now, there be represented upon the leaves of the book the pictures of animals, wild beasts, &c., by placing the book in the position shown in Fig. 3 and looking through the opening in the cover B, the animal of the picture will be seen behind the bars, and appear to be confined within a cage. The combination of the picture of the animal upon the leaf of the book with the cover of peculiar and appropriate construction anddesign thus effected producesa complete and strikingrepresentation. I

By turning successively the leaves of the book, the picture contained upon each in turn is seen through the opening in the cover B,

with which it combine; to produce a new and distinct eflect.

The character of the pictures contained in the book can be varied at will, and the design and arrangement of the cover B should, to pro- 0 duee the best effect, be changed to accord therewith. Thus, if the scenes of a theatrical representation form the subject of the pictures of the book, the cover may represent the proscenium-arch of a theater, and for the doors to 5 close the opening may be substituted a eurtain adapted to be raised or lowered. If a succession of engravings is to be displayed, it may be well to make such selection of the engravings to be contained in any one book as that one and the same frame will be suitable for 0 l each. The additional cover B is then constructed and designed to form such a frame or surrounding as will be best suited to set off the engravings or pictures. In this case the opening in the cover may be'left open, or may be closed and protected in any desirable way.

WVhat we claim as our invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A book provided with an additional cover containing one or more openings through which to examine the representations upon the 'leaves of the book, substantially as described.

2. The eombination,with abook constructed in the usual way, of an additional cover provided with one or more openings through which to examine the representations upon the leaves of the book, and suitable means, substantially as described, for holding such additional cov er in a plane parallel, or substantially so, to the plane of the leaves of the book, as and for the purposes set forth.

3. The eombination,with abook for the display of pictures,'engravings, and the like, 0011- structed in the usual way, of an additional cover provided with one or more openings through which to examine the pictures, engravings, &c., upon the leaves of the book, and constructed and arranged to correspond with 'the character of the contents of the book, and to combine in turn with the pictures upon the successive leaves to form complete representations.

HOWARD I'IOPPIN. ARTHUR L. BRO\V N. u

Witnesses:

W. H. THURSTON, EDWARD T. JACKSON.

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